OHA, COLA surveys to be distributed soon

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Military members who reside in the local community will soon receive a request to participate in two important surveys that could affect their wallets.

The Overseas Housing Allowance and Cost of Living Allowance surveys will be sent to all military who reside off base via email. The OHA survey could affect the money people get for their housing allowance for utilities and their move-in housing allowance (MIHA). The COLA survey, could affect COLA rates.

"The OHA survey applies to all military members who have been receiving OHA for at least six months, are living off base, and renting a house or apartment," said 1st Lt. Howard Antoine, 18th Comptroller Squadron. "Homeowners and on-base residents are excluded from taking the survey."

Lieutenant Antoine said the OHA survey is not just for Air Force members, it is for all military members stationed on Okinawa. The survey also has a direct impact on the amount of OHA military members residing off base will receive in the future.

Off-base residents are advised that when reporting utility expenses in the OHA survey, they should report using the currency in which they pay.

"If they pay for one utility bill in dollars, then they should report that bill in dollars on the survey. If they pay for another utility bill in yen, then they should report that bill in yen. No yen or dollar conversion is necessary."

"In order for Okinawa to receive a change in their utility allowance and MIHA, we need at least a 40 percent completion rate on the survey," Lieutenant Antione said. "If we are paying too much out of pocket for utilities off base, it is in our best interest to complete this survey and provide the data needed to update our allowance."

For the COLA retail price survey, a team of 20 people were sent to gather prices on items and services in several categories from local retail stores and from on-base facilities, such as the BX/PX and commissary. These categories include food, clothing, personal care, recreation and transportation.

"Three events can trigger a change in COLA," said Lt. Col. Steve Kennedy, 18th CPTS commander. "The most common event is a change in the exchange rate. If the U.S. dollar is strong, the COLA rate decreases. When the U.S. dollar is weak, the COLA rate will increase. These changes may occur as often as twice a month. COLA can also change because of data collected on surveys. The last type of COLA change is triggered by an 'emergency' event and is rare."

To find the COLA rate, visit https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/ocform.html from a government computer. Then enter JA027, the locality code for Okinawa.